The queen is dead; long live the queen? Hearing voices and sounds beyond the human

Any (re)turn to sound to be radical must displace the human voice as the source of authenticity and raison d’etre of communication and argumentation studies and instead turn to both the ubiquitous mediascapes and cacophonous voices of the earth that compose the aural architectures that form, deform, and transform us. Such a move opens up the possibilities of engaging sound in its myriad manifestations. This essay suggests that opening ourselves to being startled by other sounds calls for a sound turn that abandons nostalgic dreams of speech and voice and explores the always already mediated voices and sounds of tech soundscapes and the many-voiced landscapes we dwell in. Such a sound turn will hear different orations, recognize other speakers, and analyze worlds infused with infinite and strange intelligences, providing creative opportunities that will refigure our imaginations. AbbreviationsSCASpeech Communication AssociationNCANational Communication Association.